“Davidson is an ideal fit for the Atlantic 10 – as a nationally recognized academic Institution complimented by excellence in a broad-based athletic program — the Wildcats will be competitive immediately. Their success in men’s basketball is important, bringing another nationally recognized brand into the league,” A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade said in a press release sent out by the conference. “It is my pleasure to welcome Davidson’s administration, their student-athletes, staff, alumni and fans to the Atlantic 10 Conference. They will maintain our presence in the Charlotte market, one of the top 25 media markets in the country, and reinforce our commitment to national prominence in men’s basketball.”

The Atlantic 10 has already added George Mason for the 2013-2014 season. Temple is heading to the AAC, Charlotte is headed back to Conference USA and Butler and Xavier are off to become members of the new Big East. That means that, for one year, the A-10 will have 13 members before Davidson joins.

The four schools that the A-10 loses will hurt the league’s basketball profile, but Mason and Davidson both have had strong programs at the mid-major level for quite some time.